Protein kinases (PKs) play a role in signal transduction pathways regulating a number of cellular functions, such as cell growth, differentiation, and cell death. PKs are enzymes that catalyze the phosphorylation of hydroxy groups on tyrosine, serine and threonine residues of proteins, and can be conveniently broken down into two classes, the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and the serine-threonine kinases (STKs). Growth factor receptors with PTK activity are known as receptor tyrosine kinases. Protein receptor tyrosine kinases are a family of tightly regulated enzymes, and the aberrant activation of various members of the family is one of the hallmarks of cancer. The protein-tyrosine kinase family, which includes Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase, can be divided into subgroups that have similar structural organization and sequence similarity within the kinase domain. The members of the type III group of receptor tyrosine kinases include the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors (PDGF receptors α and β), colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1) receptor (CSF-1R, c-Fms), FLT-3, and stem cell or steel factor receptor (c-kit). A more complete listing of the known Protein receptor tyrosine kinases subfamilies is described in Plowman et al., DN&P, 7(6):334-339 (1994), which is incorporated by reference, including any drawings, as if fully set forth herein. Furthermore, for a more detailed discussion of “non-receptor tyrosine kinases”, see Bolen, Oncogene, 8:2025-2031 (1993), which is incorporated by reference, including any drawings, as if fully set forth herein.
Hematologic cancers, also known as hematologic or hematopoietic malignancies, are cancers of the blood or bone marrow; including leukemia and lymphoma. Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell leukemia that represents ˜90% of all acute leukemias in adults. See e.g., Lowenberg et al., N. Eng. J. Med. 341:1051-62 (1999). While chemotherapy can result in complete remissions, the long term disease-free survival rate for AML is about 14% with about 7,400 deaths from AML each year in the United States. The single most commonly mutated gene in AML is FLT3 kinase. See e.g., Abu-Duhier et al., Br. J. Haemotol. 111:190-05 (2000); Kiyoi et al., Blood 93:3074-80 (1999); Kottaridis et al., Blood 98:1752-59 (2001); Stirewalt et al., Blood 97:3589-95 (2001). Such mutations also indicate a poor prognosis for the patient.
The compounds provided by the present invention are urea derivatives of substituted aryls and hetroaryls, e.g., isoxazoles, pyrazoles and isothiazoles. Urea derivatives of pyrazoles have been reported to be selective p38 kinase inhibitors by Dumas, J., et al., Bioorg. Medic. Chem. Lett. 10:2051-2054 (2000). Oxazoles and isopyrazoles are suggested as blockers of cytokine production in WO 00/43384 published 27 Jul. 2000. Urea derivatives of isoxazole and pyrazoles are described as inhibitors of RAF kinase in WO 99/32106 published 1 Jul. 1999. Such compounds are also described as p38 kinase inhibitors by Dumas, J., et al, Bioorg. Medic. Chem. Lett. 10:2047-2050 (2000). These compounds are also suggested as p38 kinase inhibitors in PCT publication WO 99/32111 published 1 Jul. 1999.
There remains a need for additional compounds that are effective in inhibiting kinase activity. Given the complexities of signal transduction with the redundancy and crosstalk between various pathways, the identification of specific kinase inhibitors permits accurate targeting with limited inhibition of other pathways, thus reducing the toxicity of such inhibitory compounds.